Prostate Cancer Awareness Month: 5 Facts You Should Know

Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer in Canadian men and among the leading causes of cancer deaths. So, this Prostate Cancer Awareness Month the BC Cancer Foundation is sharing five facts you need to know about this disease.

1. The Stats

Prostate cancer makes up 12% of all cancer cases in men in B.C. This year, over 4,000 men in the province will be diagnosed.

2. Signs and Symptoms

Symptoms can include a slow urine stream, painful urination or painful ejaculation. You may have trouble starting or stopping urination, and you may need to urinate more often or see blood in your urine or semen.

Advanced-stage prostate cancer symptoms include weight loss, severe tiredness, back pain and sudden pain from your lower back to your leg. You may also notice swelling in your legs that does not go away.

3. Risk Factors and Screening

Age, family history, dietary choices and ethnic background all factor into your risk of developing prostate cancer. In B.C., health care providers recommend screening for all men beginning at age 50. Black men and those with family members who have faced the disease face a higher risk and may be recommended for earlier screening.

Screening can include a review for lower urinary tract symptoms and a Digital Rectal Exam (DRE). A prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test may be done if there are any unusual results.

4. SABR: High Precision Radiation Therapy

Innovative research at BC Cancer is advancing treatment and care for prostate cancer patients. This includes the work of Dr. Abraham Alexander from BC Cancer – Victoria. His research has led to the use of a high-precision radiation therapy called SABR (Stereotactic ablative radiotherapy) for prostate cancer patients.

SABR offers effective treatment with fewer side effects. It reduces the number of radiation visits for each patient to just five doses, which is down from over 25 doses with standard radiation.

5. The ADAPT-25 Trial

Dr. Alexander is working on a new cutting-edge trial with Dr. Winkle Kwan at BC Cancer – Surrey. The trial, called ADAPT-25, will use artificial intelligence (AI) to reduce the number of SABR treatments from five to just two doses. It aims to keep the same effectiveness while reducing side effects.

If you have symptoms or questions about screening, speak with a health care provider.

Source: BC Cancer